Pets safe following Guinea Circle fire

A fire at 3192 Guinea Circle in Guinea on Tuesday afternoon damaged the roof and interior walls of a two-story home and left a couple homeless for a few nights, but firefighters were able to save all six of the residents’ pet cats.

Lt. Tim Knight of Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue said that no one was home when the fire began and that a neighbor spotted it and reported it. The fire was contained to one area of the house, he said, but caused smoke and water damage in other areas and wouldn’t be livable for a while. As of Tuesday, no cost estimate was available for the damage.

The Red Cross is helping the family with a place to stay because they didn’t have renter’s insurance, said Knight, but the landlord did have homeowner’s insurance.

Two engines, a tanker, a rescue truck, and a medic unit from Abingdon responded to the fire, said Knight, and they were assisted by one engine from Gloucester and additional manpower.

No cause was determined for the fire; it’s still under investigation.

The most important thing though, said Knight, is that "everybody’s O.K. and the animals are fine."